Are the New England Patriots about to fall off a cliff?

A month after the 2021 NFL Draft, it seems the New England Patriots are on their way up. They went 7-9 with a seemingly washed-up Cam Newton last season, and now they have a new top quarterback prospect sitting behind him. However, things may not be as hunky dory in New England as they appear to be.

While the New England Patriots have reason for optimism, they might instead be staring at a long spell of disappointment, considering their history.

New England Patriots could struggle like Denver Broncos after the latter lost Peyton Manning to retirement

To see how dangerous a situation the New England Patriots are in, one needs to look no further than the Denver Broncos. They, too, had a long history of dominance and had one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Peyton Manning.

We'll certainly never forget the night Peyton Manning tossed 7 touchdown passes on SNF.Does it deserve to move on in our best moment of the decade bracket? Vote now on our IG Story! pic.twitter.com/sMuMkKBw82

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) May 21, 2021

However, the Broncos lost him when he retired in the spring of 2016 after winning Super Bowl 50. That same year, they drafted a top quarterback prospect in Paxton Lynch late in the first round, who was the last quarterback picked in that round.

The Broncos went 9-7 in 2016, with Paxton Lynch sitting behind Trevor Siemian. The team missed the playoffs that year but only by a few weeks. The worst seemed to be over because Lynch was going to take over and return the Broncos to dominating the AFC West.

However, the franchise fell apart in 2017. They lost their Super Bowl-winning head coach Gary Kubiak, and Paxton Lynch ended up a bust. The Broncos were stuck with nothing after the highs of just a few seasons ago. They ended up going 5-11, 6-10, 7-9 and 5-11 in their next four seasons.

A similar fate could await the New England Patriots.

Few people have impacted an organization in more ways than Gary Kubiak has with the #Broncos. 👏His career in 📸's » https://t.co/lCWq5HUM7z pic.twitter.com/35QfnHXmrt

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 21, 2021

Looking back, one can say the Broncos fell off a cliff, something the New England Patriots would be desperate to avoid.

How do the New England Patriots compare to the Denver Broncos?

Mac Jones

The New England Patriots are following an eerily similar trajectory to that of the Denver Broncos. The Patriots have lost one of the top quarterbacks of all time in Tom Brady. They went 7-9 in 2020, missing the playoffs by just a few weeks. In the NFL Draft, they took the last quarterback of the first round in Mac Jones.

If their story goes the Broncos' way, the franchise could be completely unrecognizable in less than twelve months. Bill Belichick will likely be gone and the Patriots could likely face quarterback and head coach uncertainty going into every season.

To put things simply, the Patriots are in trouble heading into 2020.